Lennon+Tan+LMF

//Learning Motivation and Fun//
My analysis approach is driven by the following five questions:
 * What makes learning fun when learner has low control?
 * What makes learning fun when the content is very abstract?
 * What appeals to young male adult learners (age group 20-29)?
 * What appeals to young female adult learners (age group 20-29)?
 * Are there similarities and differences between these two groups?

//**1) Sensory richness is instrumental in low learner control situation**//. Of the eight experiences that indicated low learner control, seven of them reflected learning was fun because of high sensory richness (colorful media or outdoor activities). media type="custom" key="4427611", a personal trainer, described the engaging experience she had during a fitness convention where participants had hands-on on fitness equipments. media type="custom" key="4427615" got to utilize all five senses when he participated in a beer brewery tour in San Marcos. media type="custom" key="4427623", a visual learner, built 3D picture frames in Second Life by following text-based instructions in a virtual chat room. Complementing this environmental factor, there were six experiences that noted teacher's high enthusiasm and low level of intimidation as well as fantasy (role play or themes from other content) contributed to make learning fun. These elements appealed more to male (five out of eight) and attracted the age groups 10-19 and 20-29, with both having the same frequency of occurrence (four out of eight each).

//**2) Learning very abstract content can be fun with the correct blend of environment, teacher, and content relevance**//. It is not easy to associate fun with learning very abstract content as the results has shown that only six of the 153 experiences echo this sentiment. Nevertheless, some interesting trends do emerge. 83.3% (5) of the experiences reflected medium to high sensory richness (colorful media or outdoor activities) is an important element. Characteristics of the teacher also play a crucial part. All six experiences indicated the teacher has medium to high degree of warmth and 83.3% (5) reported low degree of teacher intimidation. In terms of content type, five of the six experiences indicated academic topic and all responses reflected the content was somewhat or very relevant to the learner. media type="custom" key="4443139" felt learning invertebrate anatomy motivated him to discover more about evolutionary theory. media type="custom" key="4443141" recalled it was difficult to learn sign language but it was the challenge and social context that made the learning fun. Half these experiences occurred between the age group 10-19 and generally favored by the females (four out of six).

//**3) High degree of sensory richness and appropriate content appeal to young male adults (age group 20-29)**//. 25 of the 26 experiences reported medium to high degree of sensory richness (colorful media or outdoor activities) is necessary. Supporting this environmental factor, content was also crucial for young male adults to experience fun. 84.6% (22) of the experiences liked medium to high level of challenge and 80.8% (21) of them preferred a low to medium degree of fantasy (role play or themes from other content) and human interest (content was mostly about things, processes, or ideas). Surprisingly, not as many experiences (76.9%) from this group require content to be somewhat or very relevant. media type="custom" key="4443143" recalled a semi-formal class in which he learned how to drive and maintain large boats. media type="custom" key="4443147" described scaling mountains to learn rock climbing photography. media type="custom" key="4443151" learned how to survive in the cold Alaskan wilderness during a three-day exercise.

//**4) Young female adults (age group 20-29) require high teacher enthusiasm on top of what young male adults looked for when experiencing fun**//. All 23 experiences, except one, reported medium to high level of teacher enthusiasm is crucial to make learning fun. Medium to high level of teacher warmth (21 out of 23) is almost as important. Although having preference trend of this group similar to those of young male adults for medium to high degree of sensory richness and challenge (21 out of 23 for both), content relevance is much valued. 82.6% (19) of the experiences needed content to be somewhat or very relevant. media type="custom" key="4443161" recalled a fun experience learning Waltz in which the instructor was helpful and showed much enthusiasm. media type="custom" key="4443163" spoke of how patient and supportive her teacher was when she took a hip hop dance class in France. media type="custom" key="4443165" described her experience in basic cake decorating was made fun by the constant supervision and timely feedback of her instructor.

//**5) Findings support the view that young male (n=26) and female adults (n=23) of age group 20-29 perceive fun differently despite some similarities**//. First looking at the environmental factors, majority of young females prefer learning in group of size 15-35 (47.8%) as compared to their counterparts (30.8%). In contrast, 30.8% of young males find learning in solitary fun as compared to young females (4.3%). Social recognition is also another differentiating element. Young females generally do not find social recognition a key factor as 82.6% of them indicated a low to medium level of this element is required to make learning fun. On the other hand, 73.1% of young males deem medium to high level of social recognition as an important element. For both groups, however, they share similar perception on the degree of competition, cooperation, peer interaction, physical activities, and sensory richness that create a fun experience. Moving on to teacher influence, 42.3% of young males do not require the teacher to be humorous as compared to 52.2% of their counterparts who demanded the teacher to be a little humorous. The young males were divided on their views on teacher energy level but 78.3% of the the young females desired a teacher who has medium to high level of energy during class. Looking at similarities, both groups report common trends in their perception on teacher enthusiasm, degree of intimidation and warmth. In terms of content, both groups prefer different types of content. Half of the young males find learning academic content fun whereas 57.0% of their counterparts rather learn something to do with their hobbies. Both groups are also divided on their preferences on level of content abstractness. 69.6% of young females prefer content to be somewhat or very concrete. Young males however have different views. Only a third of them agree with their counterparts with 42.6% of them having a mixed preference between concrete and abstract content. Nevertheless, both groups share similar perception on the degree of challenge, content relevance, fantasy, and human interest when experiencing fun.

//Reflection//
The first two questions that drove the analysis examine two challenges faced in designing instruction - lack of learner control and learning abstract content. The small number of responses to these two queries further reinforce the fact that learners generally prefer some level of control and learning content that is less abstract. There will be situations where learners may not have any form of control over the pace and type of content albeit much has been said about engendering a more learner-centric environment. The data suggests that environments that can comprehensively engage and interact with the senses have a higher probability of creating a fun experience for the learners. With regard to motivating learners in understanding very abstract content, the data shows that it takes a right combination of the learning environment, teacher characteristics, and content relevance to make learning fun.

I used the next three questions to target a specific group - young adults in the age group 20-29. They represent the populace that will be at the forefront of tackling the world's pressing challenges and creating significant changes today. Their perspectives help to shed light on designing effective instruction that can address their needs and demands. Key elements that appeal to this group include a high degree of sensory richness, teacher enthusiasm, and content appropriateness. Although both young male adults and their counterparts share many common views on what make learning fun, it is also important to address their differences when teaching or designing instruction.

In summary, this analysis uncovered a high degree of sensory richness is vital in learning environments. Also, the way in which the teacher conduct himself/herself in terms of level of enthusiasm, intimidation, and warmth has a great impact on creating a conducive learning environment. In addition, appropriate content type and relevance sums up the elements that make learning fun with respect to the five questions posed. However, this findings, although insightful, are not necessarily representative of the larger population and lack external validity beyond the scope of this analysis.